


Hiding Secrets

by acechick_ace



Series: Rewritten Stories [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, High School AU, I love the original, Past jaspis, Rewrite, Secrets, creauters AU, go check the original, power au, the plot potentiallllllllllllll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2019-11-05 09:06:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17915900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acechick_ace/pseuds/acechick_ace
Summary: In a place where everyone has powers, everyone is perfect. Peridot breaks that mold. She doesn't have powers, or does she? And why does the girl with the blue hair try to stick her nose where it doesn't belong?





	1. Dreams and Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xardas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xardas/gifts).
  * Inspired by [hidding secrets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17333903) by [Xardas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xardas/pseuds/Xardas). 



> I lay no claim to the original story, as it is by AO3 user Xardas. They've given me permission to post this. Also, I lay no claim to Rebecca Sugar's characters. If you're reading this, you know what the drill is. PS They haven't finished it, and I don't intend to write any further than the author of this work. You have been warned.

Peridot scrambled for purchase, nearly bolting from her bed. She had just startled from a nightmare -  _ the nightmare _ . She felt her panic die down. Nightmares of the  _ incident _ were the worst. It was basically a shitstorm of sweat, panic, and exhaustion. Right now, she felt bathed in sweat and high off panic from  _ the _ nightmare. Exhaustion seemed to creep in, but memories of the dream and what had actually happened in the past seemed to refresh the feeling of panic. Her hands shook, knuckles whitened, and pupils shrank.

_ She stood there. Her eyes stared blankly into a void of darkness. Everything was the void, even the invisible floor she appeared to be standing on. Suddenly, a glint catches her eyes. She ambled in its direction, finding that the glinting object seems to take shape the closer she gets. Closer still she walks, and it begins to take on a rounded shape with a sharp protrusion. Closer still, and she notices that it is round and has an ornate handle. Closer still, she picks up the handle of the silver mirror. Somewhere, deep in the conscious back of her mind, she feels the need to scream. Nothing comes from her lips. She wants to scream. She wants to scream ‘STOP!’ or even just wake up. She knows what happens next. She turns the mirror to face her. All that greets her is the vacant reflection of her face - vibrant green eyes, lifeless; gravity-defying hair, limp; soft lips, hardened. This was all she saw as she inspected the mirror for a moment. Just that moment all was calm, but she knows what happens next. She  _ **_knows_ ** _. She can’t stop it either. Suddenly, something seizes in her body. It wants out. Something inside her wants out. It. Wants. Out. Her reflection in the mirror begins to distort. When the image stills for a moment, something happens. Black mist starts pouring from her eyes, her nose, her ears, and her mouth. It swirls at her feet and clings in the air. Then, a small neon-green thread pricks through the waterfall of mist coming from her mouth. It warps the black fog into forming around her face and covering her reflection. The thing that looked at her now was a monstrous black formless shape with a thread jutting from the lower part of it. Said thread began to form a smile that split the shapeless face in half. Peridot watched on as it began to form eyes that sang of death and murder, even reveled in it. This monster was something that Peridot hated. She wasn’t that monster. She wasn’t. SHE WASN’T! It was just her powers. This monster was her powers. Powers that only she, her mother, and one other knew she had. Pained noises began to emanate from the suffocating fog. Screaming - loud and grating - came from the mist. One pierced the air. Shrill. Unsettling. It always woke her. _

Hands, arms, and body trembled like a branch being battered by fall winds. Her grip on her blankets tightened.

‘ _ Remember, Peridot, breathe. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale.’ _

Calmer, she looks to her nightstand and her digital clock. ‘ _ 5:30 AM’ _ it read. Perfect timing. Having gathered her composure, Peridot stood up and began to get ready for the day. She grabbed clothes, some she had worn the previous day, and some fresh undergarments and walked to her bathroom. Shucking her pyjamas, she began to prepare for a shower. She spent some time washing herself and doing some small maintainancing. The warm water washing over her skin made her feel better after such a harrowing dream. After rinsing out the conditioner from her hair and lamenting having to leave the warm caress of the shower water, she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. She dried herself off and put on her clothing. She donned a lime-green hoodie and sandy skinny jeans. Dressed, she admired her gravity-defying hair in the mirror a moment once it had completely dried. She grabbed her glasses so neatly perched on the decorative piece on the counter and admired herself one last time.

“Shit.”

She had nearly forgotten her colored contact lenses. She opened a thin drawer that was carved above a small cabinet and fetched her lenses from their solution. The brown lenses were popped in quickly and glasses were quickly replaced. Peridot made her way downstairs, picking up her backpack from her room and depositing it in the living room. Her mother, Yellow Diamond, sat at the table idly sipping on a mug of coffee and browsing the news on her phone. The earlier creaking of the stairs had alerted her of her daughter’s wakefulness, so she greeted her upon entry.

“Morning, Peridot.” Her voice was cold, detached. “Have a seat. It’s still early and we aren’t too far from school. Why are you up so early?”

Peridot squirmed in her seat, munching on an orange.

“Couldn’t sleep any longer.”

“Very well. Don’t forget, I expect much of you. I want straight A’s this year. If your grades remotely slip, I won’t hesitate to ask why.” Peridot nodded. “Oh, and Peridot,”

“Yes?”

“If you lie again and say that you don’t have an ability, then you’ll have a harder time at Beach City High. I don’t understand why you’re so adamant about hiding it. It brings nothing but shame to this family. Just tell them that your ability is something trivial, but you have no control over it or something of that ilk. So please, don’t hide it, sweetheart.”

The bite of orange she ate caught in her throat. She couldn’t go through with this. That wasn’t what she wanted.

“It may be shameful, but I’d rather bear it than lie and be forced to show my ability. My grades should more than make up for that.”

Yellow’s grip on her mug tightened before she gently set the cup down. Her eyes met her daughter’s.

“You will not disobey. Is that understood.” Peridot nodded sharply. “Good. When you’re finished eating I’ll drive you to school.”

“Yes, mother. I understand.”

Their conversation ended, the two began to eat in silence. Once they had finished, Yellow Diamond gathered her briefcase and ushered her daughter into the car. ‘ _ The damn pressure of being an only child of a single parent sucks. _ ’ She mused. Her mother desired for her to live up to her success and that was pretty hard when she’s the executive of a large conglomerate company with three other business partners that were your aunts. Her thoughts were broken by the looming building that was Beach City High. Its structure was unique with well manicured topiaries and lawns offset by a small football field/track behind the parking lot.

Once she was dropped off at the front doors, she took a second to admire the throng of students. Looking at the bright eyed and bushy-tailed peers that bustled about campus she knew that this year would be interesting and would probably change her whole life.


	2. New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my beauties. I may be posting this on like fridays instead. Once weekly though. So, consider this your friendly extra update!! Enjoy!

A deep seated content filled her bones as she inhaled the sweaty, hormone-ridden air that was Beach City High. Something about this place just seemed to ring _home_ to her. It didn’t matter that she was standing still and that occasionally she would be jostled by someone rude trying to get past her in a hurry, she was determined to make the most of this place. It wouldn’t be a repeat of the last three years. She pulled up her hood and began to totter forward. Muscles she hadn’t used in a long time began to ache from use. Smiling. She was smiling. The strange strain on her cheeks seemed to fuel her smile even more. Before she knew it, she bared her teeth in a wide grin. She chuckled softly to herself at this, covering her mouth. Suddenly a small but well-rounded figure rammed into her.

“Amethyst!” he hissed. “I’m so sorry. Hey, are you okay?”

It took her a moment to find her voice.

“Uh… Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t realize I was walking so slow.”

The boy looked her up and down, a curious glint in his eyes. His eyes paused at her shoes, her eyes, and her hair.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around the city… and I know everyone in the city! Could you be,” he gasped. “NEW? OH! My name is Steven, sorry for being so rude. What’s yours?”

Peridot scratched the back of her neck. She found his hyperactive and optimistic attitude endearing. She came to the conclusion that he must be a freshman. She took the moment to absorb his enthusiasm before she responded. It was meeker than anticipated, but not unexpected.

“Peridot. Uh… yeah, I’m new here. I just moved in not too long ago.”

The boy had seemingly forgotten his ire towards his companion that seemed to lurk nearby. To say the least, his personality was overwhelming. The excitement that he exuded was palpable in the air and she stepped back a couple of steps. It was almost overwhelming just being in his presence. She wasn’t so sure how anyone could possibly stand in this boy’s presence for longer than thirty seconds.

“So, since you’re not from here, where did you come from? Are you from a nearby rival school? You aren’t from Ocean High, are you? Oh em gee! No way you aren’t!” She shook her head. “Oh. Well, where are you from then? I don’t think I know what school you came from…”

Peridot hesitated. She had no idea that she would have to bring up where she had gone to school previously so soon. She tried to dodge the question and was relatively successful, but she did manage to get a very understanding response. His excited body language betrayed his disappointment in not being able to know, but he quickly bounced back. He began to shower her with questions anew asking her what her favorite color was (Aqua) and what she was like before he was interrupted by someone calling his name. She tried to find the person that was her savior, but her short stature did her no favors. Eventually two figures emerged from the crowd. One of them she recognized from earlier, Amethyst she assumed. The other was tall and lanky, her pointed nose, low gaze, and ramrod posture exuded bookish snob. Hipster came to mind despite the lack of glasses and suspenders, and even with the plaid skirt she wore. She certainly donned the short and spiked hair like one though.

“Ayyyyy, yo Ste-man, making new friends already?”

The hipster seemed to scoff at her companion.

“Yeah! This is Peridot. She’s new in town. She won’t tell me where she’s from, but she says doesn’t want to talk about it. That’s okay though! She seems really cool. Smart too!”

Peridot smiled softly at the word friends. _Friends_. She longed for the idea. She didn’t have any back then. Now was a chance to start over and start fresh; make friends even. That was a novel idea.

“Exactly who is she?” The taller hipster asked.

“Oh, this is Peridot. She’s new in town. She moved from somewhere kinda far from here, but she won’t tell me where. I want to know, but she said she doesn’t want to talk about it, so I won’t ask. She seems really cool, huh?”

The hipster scoffed. Amethyst extended her hand to Peridot with a firm greeting: “My name’s Amethyst. The snob over there is Pearl.” Peridot returned the handshake meekly and chuckled at the absurdity of their introduction. “You seem pretty chill, P-squad. Welcome to the crew.”

“I’m not a snob, Amethyst. I’m so sorry, my name is Pearl, as Amethyst already introduced. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we get along well. And, Amethyst, no wrestling with her, okay?”

“Buzzkill.” Amethyst muttered. “Nice meeting you, Peri-dactyl. C’mon, P. we got English to get to. See ya, Stu-ball. C’mon, P. I wanna go throw some spitballs in Mr. McGraw’s toupee.”

“Amethyst!”

The chatter died out as the two left for English, but their noise didn’t as they argued on their way to class. This sight caused Peridot to chuckle. Such camaraderie was amusing to witness in person. She then turned to Steven who seemed to look up to her with eager eyes.

“So, what classes do you have, Peridot?”

“Oh, uh… Well, I know I have my basic core classes, and a couple of electives, but I’m supposed to meet with my counselor about when my classes are. I was headed that way when you bumped into me.”

“It’s a good thing he did, otherwise I would never have found you, Ms. Diamond.”

Peridot whirled around to find a tall woman towering over her. Her eyes were striking red and blue - heterochromia - and her hair was tall, bulky, and box-like. She immediately recognized the style from the pictures from the school’s website.

“I’m Mrs. Garnet Kochholm, but you are welcome to call me Mrs. Garnet. I’m your counselor and I was hoping I could get you your class schedule and have you on your way. Sorry, Steven, but I’ll be needing to borrow this young lady from you for a little while.”

Steven grinned and played off the apology. He said a quick farewell before heading to class himself. Peridot found herself alone with the woman following her to her office. As the woman sat down, so did she. Fingers flew across the keyboard as she began to work her administrative magic.

“So, Peridot, I see that you went to Homeworld High before this. It must have been quite the experience. I’ll have to warn you that things here in Beach City High are much more different than there. I think you’ll find the staff to be as warm and welcoming as they possibly can. Our curriculum may be a bit different from theirs and a bit more rigorous, but we’ll have to see how you feel in this environment. I think you’ll really come to love it.” She turned to the printer. “As for any incidents that happened at Homeworld High, you can rest assured that nothing like that should occur here at Beach City High. Since your family has requested confidentiality, we shall keep it that way. I will be keeping a third eye on you, however, just to make sure things are as comfortable as we can provide here.”

A sheet of paper was handed to her.

“Here is your class schedule. For your study hall, however, I would like to request that we do counseling sessions during that time frame. I hope you are not opposed to this. Your mother has asked us to talk to you to see if you can come to better understand, accept, and control your powers. I think you can achieve this, Ms. Peridot. Is this all well and good for you?”

Peridot had no idea how to answer to this. She had just had everything she didn’t want to remember shoved in her face by such a polite and caring woman. She also had been informed that her mother was setting her up with counseling sessions to help control her. Her mother was trying to exert her parental control again.

“I- uh.. Sure. Sure, unless you can find some better solution.”

Garnet looked at her with a steeled gaze. This immediately softened into a bright smile.

“Very well then. We’ll be doing them on a daily basis, if you don’t mind. Eventually we’ll move it down to weekly, but for now we’ll have them daily. Oh, and one more thing - I noticed you were hanging out with Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl. They really are a good bunch, those three. Very studious, friendly, and easy to get along with. I hope that you will be able to make great friends with them. After all, that’s the first step in the right direction. Be proud, Peridot.”

Her counselor’s words brought a soft smile to her face. She had done something good, something right, and she was damned proud of it.

“I’m humbled. I think that this year, in all honesty, is going to be much better than before. Talking with people isn’t quite so overwhelming and intimidating, especially when they seem so… happy. I think- I think that I can’t wait to get to know some of them better.”

The older woman smiled, admonishing Peridot for how optimistic she seemed. She noted the time and when her first class would start. Garnet dismissed her with a curt smile and a reminder that if she ever needed to talk about something, “I will always make time for my students.” and that made her happy. She thanked the counselor before she left for her first class of the day: English with Mr. McGraw-Hill. As she exited the office, she noted a small mirror in the ceiling corner by the door, one of those security mirrors, and looked at it. She pulled the hood of her hoodie up and shrunk into herself upon seeing the formless smiling face from her nightmares. It just grinned at her as she passed several other reflective surfaces. It laughed and just continued to smile. It reminded her of her powers. ‘ _No. I won’t tell them I have powers. I won’t let them know I have powers. I can’t. I won’t. Not again._ ’ In that instant she felt her life would begin to change.


	3. Getting Better

Peridot still had another good ten minutes before she had to get to class, but she felt as if she’d need every bit of those ten minutes just to find the classroom. She walked down the hall of lockers just so she could find hers and stow some of her belongings away. Once she had found hers, she found both Steven and Amethyst lurking nearby.

“Guys! I- uh? Why are you still here? How did you find my locker?”

“Well, duh, we go here. Yeah? And your locker? Dude, my locker’s over here somewhere and this is where we usually meet up. So, find out what classes you’ve got?” Peridot nodded. “Sweet! Lemme see your schedule.”

Amethyst browsed her schedule, lamenting the fact that they didn’t have the same study hall and two other classes together. She did however find herself excited that they had first period, third period, lunch and history together.

“I can’t believe you’re taking honors physics, you nerd. I think you’ll have it with Pearl though. You’ve got some pretty stiff competition there if you do. At least we all have the same lunch though! Basically, we can all spend lunch nitpicking P’s hipster aesthetic. Oh, and we can show you where we usually sit. It’s got the best seating.”

Peridot thanked them for their kindness. They really shouldn’t have.

“But that’s what friends are for! No?” Steven admonished.

She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks.  _ Friends _ . They had called themselves her  _ friends _ . They didn’t really know her or what she had done in the past, but they still called themselves her friends. She let them hug her for the briefest of moments.  _ They’re such nice people. Truly, these guys will be great friends.  _

“Alright, you softies, let’s get to class. We’ve only got like five minutes or less. And P-squad, I think there might be an open seat near me and Pearl that you can sit at. Ste-man, you better book it. Those stairs aren’t gonna climb themselves.”

Steven bolted, booking it to his next class. She hoped he wouldn’t be late. The two left, Peridot falling in pace with Amethyst who seemed keen on giving her a quick mini-tour and some tips on how to find her classes if she found herself lost or not knowing what floor they were on. Eventually, they made it to English and with a couple of minutes to spare.

“There you are, Amethyst! I thought you were going to be late- and Oh, Peridot. I… Hello again.”

Peridot gave a small wave.

“So what I was asking before Pearl so  _ rudely _ interrupted was, what kinda powers you got?”

She froze. There it was - the million dollar question. She wanted to lie and tell them that she only had hyper-regeneration powers. That wasn’t the extent of her full powers though. She was so much more dangerous than that. She wanted to tell them that she didn’t have any, but then she would be disobeying her mother’s wishes. And she would be punished for that if she found out.  **If** she found out. Hypotheticals aside, she barely found her resolve.

“I… uh… I really don’t- really, I don’t have powers?”

Suddenly the whole classroom went silent. All conversation had halted. The bell rang- loud. Blaring. A pencil dropping in the hallway could be heard. Deciding to break the silence, Pearl coughed awkwardly, but resumed conversation.

“Oh, that’s really a shame. If you don’t mind my asking, what do you know about powers?”

Conversation had begun to pick up again when she was asked that question, so Peridot didn’t really feel all that awkward answering even though it was a lie.

“Well, I learned that most people that have powers, usually the really strong ones can fully transform. This transformation can exhaust a person, but it allows them to fully tap into their powers. Most people with powers can partially transform. You can usually tell if a person has stronger powers by how vibrant a person’s eyes are.”

Pearl and Amethyst seemed astonished to hear such an in-depth almost personal sounding explanation for powers. Amethyst remarked that she was surprised that with such an explanation that she didn’t have powers. Especially since there were some kinda vibrant flecks of green in her eyes. Peridot chuckled nervously.

“So, what kind of powers do you guys have?”

“Well, Steven has a healing ability that he can share, Pearl here has like the biggest brain I know (actually she’s just super fast she tried to use her powers in a track meet once and was disqualified),” Pearl smacked Amethyst’s arm at that side remark. “And well, I don’t normally get super exhausted when I transform. Basically, I can shapeshift into anything I want to, but only for like an hour at most. It depends. I’m really sorry to hear that you don’t have any. Must be really hard on ya.”

She scratched the back of her neck and offered a quick placative response. 

“Really, it’s not too bad. The only shit thing is that I tend to be the object of any bully’s eye.”

Both girls offered her a look of sympathy. Amethyst broke the lull extending an olive branch. If she ever needed help, then they would be there for her. Peridot thanked them. It warmed her heart and made her chest ache that they were so ready and willing to accept her and help her based on this lie she was going to build. Her thanks left a bitter feeling on her tongue and an ache in her soul. She was hiding. Again.

Not but five minutes after the bell did the teacher finally arrive, and they began the class. It went by so quickly it was unreal. Thoughts of ‘ _ It’s no good.’  _ and ‘ _ They already know I “don’t have powers.” _ ran through her head. They left a sickening feeling in her stomach. It made her feel like she could throw up. She’d fidget. She’d tap her pencil eraser against the desk. She’d wobble the pencil with her fingers. She’d bounce the eraser against the desk. She couldn’t focus on the lecture on the class syllabus the teacher was going over.  _ They knew _ .

Eventually class ended, and she and Pearl would head to their next class - Physics. They walked to their lockers, which thankfully were but a few apart to grab their textbooks. A voice rose from the crowd, calling out, “Powerless freak!” It was immediately directed at Peridot, and she flinched hearing those words. They were loud. Half the school probably heard them. The whispers that followed made her clutch her things tighter. She walked alongside Pearl, only half-heartedly listening to what she was saying. The whispers got louder. She clutched her books tighter.

Not but 5 meters from the door, they were stopped. A large wall of meat stood in their way. The only thing that differentiated this wall of meat from any regular wall of meat was cleavage. There wasn’t much, but enough to prove evidence. Behind her cowed a smaller figure. She was comparatively much shorter than the meat wall, but definitely had a figure that could rival the sack of muscles that stood in front of them.

“I hear you’ve got no powers. Are the rumors true?”

Peridot cringed. Word had gotten around fast. It hadn’t been more than say five minutes. Pearl tried to speak up, but was quickly shut down by the intense glare of her golden eyes.

“I-er… I- the rumors? Uh… yeah… they’re true.”

**_“LIES! LIAR! YOU’RE A FUCKING LIAR.”_ ** A voice roared in her head. It was aggressive and matched what she would have assumed the smiling green face would have produced.  **_“YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GODDAMNED DIRTY LIAR. YOU’VE BUILT YOURSELF THIS MISERY.”_ ** And it was right.

“Good.”

Amber eyes pierced her soul. A grin marred the already marked face. Suddenly time stopped. Literally. A wound fist was stopped mid-air just inches from her face. The realization of what was happening scared Peridot. Her abilities were being triggered. Her eyes swapped back and forth between the girl’s eyes and her fist and her face. She let go of her grasp on time. In a flurry of movement, the girl’s fist collided with Peridot’s face. Pain. Blinding pain. Something in her nose felt wrong. Dripping. She felt warm liquid trickle down her face. Her shoulder felt jarred. Her hands hurt and her books, glasses, and a single contact lay spread on the floor.

“Peridot!”

The surrounding voices seemed dull in comparison to the throbbing pain resonating through her head.

**_“You let yourself get hit. YOU IDIOT. YOU LIE TO THEM AND THIS IS THE RESULT! YOU GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE. You deserved it. You lied to them. YoU lIEd to ThEm. You deserve it. YOU DESerVE THIs. YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU!”_ **

The voice resounded in her head. It drowned out even the throbbing hurt. It was right. This was her punishment for lying. The bullying was better than letting her powers run rampant and hurting anybody this time. However, it would have just been so simple to tell them she had hyper-regeneration powers. So simple, and yet she didn’t. She hid her face behind her hand and tried to pick up her glasses and contact as quickly as possible. ‘ _ Before anyone can see me. _ ’ She ran to the bathroom, assuring Pearl she would go to the nurses office after she took care of herself.

**_“YOU IDIOT. BLOOD. IT’S ALL OVER YOUR HANDS. IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT. YOU KNOW IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT. YOU PATHETIC FOOL. IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT.”_ **

She ran into the bathrooms, thankfully finding it empty. She rinsed the blood off her hand and rinsed the dirt off her contact. The contact was quickly replaced in her eye. She then rinsed off whatever blood she could from her face and used some paper towels to staunch the blood flow. The thought that she could simply heal this and not have to bother with going to the nurse crossed her mind. A second later the idea seemed stupid.  _ It would look suspicious if you bled all over your hoodie, leaving bloodstains, and all of the sudden your nose looks perfect. _ In the end, she decided against completely healing herself. She would staunch the flow, but that was it. No more. She couldn’t heal it any further without suspicion. She did try and lift the blood stains from her hoodie to the best of her ability. The stains would stay until she could scour them with hydrogen peroxide. Eventually she replaced her glasses and walked back to her physics class.

Outside her class, she picked up her scattered books and papers and writing utensils. She was grateful that there was at least a minute to find her seat. It brought her no joy finding that the only available seat was near the wall of meat that had punched her no more than five minutes ago. Pearl sat adjacent to them. Said meat wall smirked. As she walked to her seat, the blue themed girl that had cowed behind the meat wall passed by with a threat.

“Don’t you dare breathe a word about that. Or else…”

Peridot stiffened. She didn’t bother to respond, but her stiff posture seemed enough. Quietly she set her things down for the next period. Pearl tried to talk to her, but she just brushed her off. Any time either of the three she’d met tried to talk to her, she would try to avoid them. In the meantime, she found out that the meat wall was called Jasper and her shadow was Lapis Lazuli. She couldn’t wait to get away from these two troublemakers, and the end of the day couldn’t come quick enough. When it did end, finally, she bolted.


	4. Things You Don't Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love and support so far! Sorry I'm late! Things have gotten a bit busy.

 Peridot rushed through the front door. She thundered up the stairs to her room. She found no surprise her mother wasn’t yelling at her for the loud noise. More than likely she was still at work. It was suffocating and she needed a reprieve. The door slammed against the wall potentially denting it. She had to get out of her blood-stained clothes first. Her hoodie went first, her shirt next, and flew into the hamper. She then swapped them for a navy-blue shirt and dark green athletic shorts. Her head swirled. She was breathing too hard. Her vision wobbled for a second. Noting her state, she sat down on the bed to calm herself.

_Everything was going so well… Until Jasper came along… I need to apologize to them. Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl, I ignored them even when they tried to reach out to me. I was so rude. But, I have to find a way to get around Jasper and Lazuli. How can I just ignore them for the rest of the year? *sigh* Maybe the fresh air will do me some good. Maybe I can stay out long too. I know mother’s still at work for another two days… I won’t have to worry about being spotted…_

She gathered her resolve, a new hoodie, and her phone. It was a warm summer so the hoodie wasn’t really necessary, but it was like a security blanket. If it did get chilly, then she had a backup plan. Approaching the front door, she slid on her tennis shoes again. Peridot bounced on her feet and hesitated over the door handle. She knew what she was going to do once she was outside, but standing at the last door that led to the outside world was daunting. Taking a deep breath, she solidified her plan to go to the outskirts of the town, untouched dilapidated buildings and overgrown lawns from another time, and transform to let loose her magic. The magic seemed to be crawling under her skin, leaving an itching feeling that made Peridot firmly turn the door handle and step outside. Her steps bounded and hastened at the thought of being able to transform. She couldn’t care less about the clothing that was on her back that would disappear when she transformed. It may have looked tacky to someone, but what mattered was it was practical and would melt away with her magic. Her pace remained quick as she made her way to the outskirts of town.

The sun appeared to be dipping below the horizon by the time she reached the dilapidated buildings that skirted the town. She looked over the buildings and smirked. They were hers for the next few days. All hers. The one she stared at seemed especially homey and would be great territory to claim for the time being. Though the interior of the house was lacking, it provided a safe haven. The windows were placed just perfectly, and hung high enough that if she were to sit down she could easily hide underneath them. This was also perfect for her to just sit down and watch the golden glow start to fade into soft oranges, lavenders, and grey that was to become the night sky. So, that’s exactly what she did. Peridot sat, leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes and breathed in the musty scent that surrounded her before she transformed. Peridot immediately regretted being so careless about her transformation. _What if somebody saw me? Would they recognize me even with my green eyes?_ She questioned the plausibility of the second doubt, especially since she had left her contacts at home. _I should have checked the area for intruders beforehand. They might see the glowing from my transformation!_ These doubts faded as the warmth of her transformation set in. The glow moved from her toes up. It transformed her feet and legs into the deer equivalent of a satyr, fur traveled upward and covered her modestly across her torso, little deer ears replaced her human ones, and small antlers garnished her forehead. She admired the light brown and speckled fur that covered her and focused on the softness. It was as if she were a new being. She sighed. Not long after, her attention diverted to the tiled floor. Cracks filled the floor and greenery began to sprout all over. Grass, dandelions, clover, violets, and other small vegetation sprouted around her. Even in the dead area she had holed up in, she still brought life to it.

‘ _This is what I am. I take life to give life. Even if it’s just plants._ ’

Leafy plants began to grow up the wall she leaned against. Small leafless vines began to intertwine itself in the plant life. Once grown, it broke off and began to take form of living creatures that fluttered around: birds, butterflies, etc. The scene she sat in was breathtaking: the soft golden glow of the sunset contrasting with the vibrant greens, violets, and yellows of the flora that surrounded her; magical vine creatures fluttering in the air; it contrasted with the dull beige of the untouched wall and listless taupe of the cracked tiles in the shadows. It still felt so warm and home-like. Peridot turned and breathed in the fresh life that surrounded her and relaxed back against the wall. This was a place she would be happy to spend her time in even if she had to leave for school in the morning.

Exhausted from her exploits from school and still not ready to face tomorrow, she leaned back and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before she began to nod off. The serenity of the air had finally gotten to her.

* * *

Lapis felt like shit. She didn’t care what Jasper had done or what she had done for Jasper. All she knew was she hated what Jasper had done to the new girl with no powers. That was uncalled for. She didn’t like that she had been so weak-willed as to go along with Jasper’s demands to intimidate her to keep up her “polished record.” That was bullshit to the finest.

Her pace was like the fury of a whirlwind heading to her soon to be former girlfriend’s house. Her entrance and flurry of words struck Jasper and baffled her. Lapis raised her voice and threatened with violence to shred Jasper’s face. Jasper struck Lapis before she could do anything stupid. It devolved into hair-pulling, spitting, shouting, clawing and rolling around the floor. Eventually they came to a physical impasse, before Lapis shrieked. Her magic magnified the strength of it. It knocked Jasper off of her. Her opponent quickly recovered, and moved to the doorway. Lapis looked up at Jasper, once she had gotten up, and glared at her.

“You know what?” She spat. “Fuck you. I’ve had enough of this. We fight like this so often over petty things like this. I’m sick of it. Fuck you. Fuck your intimidation. Fuck your bullying others. Fuck your jock brain. Fuck this relationship. FUCK EVERYTHING! WE’RE DONE HERE.”

She flew through the door frame, brushing past Jasper.

“Lapis, wai-”

Lapis cut her off. She left the door wide open with her image fading into the distance. She was going to the abandoned buildings on the outskirts of town, her home away from home. It greatly satisfied her that Jasper would have to shut the door herself after watching her leave for the uninhabited part of town so close to her house. It didn’t hurt any less to leave her girlfriend of three years off and on. Three years… the thought brought tears to her eyes. They burned at the corners, and streaked down her cheeks. They blurred her vision and lead her to an undiscovered part of her secondary home.

She approached the first house she came to, wiping her tears away with her hands and sniffling. She didn’t need to look like she’d just been crying. Once her tears had cleared up and she had generously wiped some snot on the side of her pants from the back of her hand, she approached the door of the first house she came to. She quietly opened the door, despite its creaky hinges. What beheld her sight was incredible: a young girl, possibly her age, with deer-like features (a faun dare she say) sleeping in a bed of greenery that surrounded her; little vine mimicries of butterflies and birds flitting about and chirping. The gold of the evening sun settled on her corn-husk colored hair and accentuated the soft curve of her cheek and defined the sharp point of her chin. A soft green glow tinged the gold of the sunset and the edges of the patch of greenery. She edged closer to get a better look at the girl’s face. Her breath hitched and heart stopped when an ear twitched at the padding of her feet. The faun didn’t wake, so she carefully approached her. Lapis admired the goddess-like appeal of the transformed girl as she inched closer.

Upon closer inspection, some of the faun’s features began to look very familiar, but incomprehensibly attractive. Soft freckles littered the girl’s face, her expression was soft, pointed chin and rounded jaw relaxed, her lips were soft looking and a supple peach. Her nose seemed slightly _off_ , almost as if someone had injured it. Despite that, the goddess-like creature left Lapis breathless. Comparing the girl before her to a goddess was the only way she could come to terms with the life-giving powers and faun-like appearance of the girl. Suddenly, she turned in her sleep. She was muttering something, almost like an apology?

“‘m sorr…, Pear... Ste... A..."

Those words startled her. The features of this girl seemed startlingly familiar now. It was Peridot, the very girl she had threatened earlier, the very reason she had broken up with Jasper, sleeping out here in an abandoned house with _powers_ . She scrambled away from the sleeping girl immediately. She stood in the presence of someone with incredible powers. Stars, the no powers lie had been just that, a _lie_.

‘ _Holy shit. The girl, Peridot?, lied about not having powers? Is this why? Is she just so powerful that she doesn’t like anybody knowing? Oh, shit. Uh.... Should I even wake her? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckkkk. And Fuck me sideways, she's fucking actually attra- SHIT. Not even five minutes after breaking up with Jasper and I’ve already got my eyes on another girl. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Lapis, you useless fucking lesbian. Oh, stars, should I wake her? I shouldn’t wake-_ ’

Before Lapis could even think of taking a photo of the girl, something seemed to drift in the air from the flowers.

‘ _What am I thinking?! What was she thinking? Why did she even bother letting Jasper hit her? Why did she lie about having powers? Shit, she’s not safe by herself like this._ ’

Acknowledging her many questions, she made the quick resolution to guard Peridot and ask when she woke up. A dizzy spell that left her exhausted clearly wanted to thwart her resolution. She cursed herself and tried to keep herself awake. She pinched herself, shook her head, took deep breaths, and other tactics just to keep awake but failed to do so. Her last sentiment before passing out was how soft the vegetation was.

* * *

“...ly shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. OH, my stars. Guh! I hope Lap…”

Lapis finally came to, startled by the shuffling of the plants and light swears. She groaned, not ready to be up again this late at night. Green light, though soft, bled through her eyelids, giving her the small bit of resolve to open them and look at Peridot. Said girl hadn’t moved much since she last remembered, just enough to have shuffled a bit since she fell asleep. Suddenly the furry legs towered over her. This forced Lapis to sit up and actually bother to think.

“Uh…………” she trailed. “So… Peridot… uhhhhhhhhh....... _fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck_ . I’m so sorry.”

Peridot backed against the wall, clutching some of the plants that grew there.

“What are you doing here, Lazuli?”

Suddenly, the air lost its vibrancy. The plants and soft grass that cushioned her and provided the soft green light began to disappear. It lasted just a bit longer since Peridot transformed back, losing her goddess-like features. As she took her time forming an answer, the room began to lighten. The first rays of the sun were beginning to peek over the horizon. They trickled in through the window and onto the floor next to the both girls.

“Fuckin’ what about you? Why were you even sleeping out here?”

She shot a pointed glare at the “powerless” girl before her. She seemed to wither under the gaze.

“Needed some space to myself. Couldn’t do this at home. Now, answer my question.”

Lapis cringed, remembering just why she was out here in the first place. Oh stars, she was going to have to face the repercussions at school today. Nails scratched at her biceps and eyes trailed to the floor. The scuffs on Peridot’s sneakers were far more interesting than responding. She mumbled that she’d fought with Jasper, but Peridot’s brows just knit and she demanded that Lapis answer her question: What was she doing out here? She scowled and scoffed.

“Got in a fight with m’ girlfriend, Jasper, yeah. Long story short, we broke up. Well, more like I broke up with her. Didn’t wanna go home. Too much shit there. I like the area ‘round here. It has some nice views. This place seemed cozy, but I saw you. Almost didn’t recognize ya at first. Wasn’t sure if you were safe here, so I ’as going to protect you. _Was_ . Then, shit, I fell asleep ‘cause of some freaky magic stuff your flowers spewed. That shit’s some right strong stuff. That’s it.”

Freckles. She blinked fast. She’d finally had the balls to look at the shortie in the face again, but found herself regretting it immediately. Freckles. They littered across the bridge of her nose, a soft brown like the fur of her transformed state. Vibrant green eyes. They reminded her of the flora that had cushioned the ground earlier. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from the intense stare that held specks of fear in it. _GODFUCK Lapis, you FuCkIng UsEleSS LeSBiaN. Tear your eyes away, you fuckin’ idiot!_ She couldn’t.

“You know I have powers… Oh stars, you know. You know…”

“I swear, I can keep quiet. I know what it’s like to have to keep things quiet. You have your reasons for keeping these on the dl, and I respect that. I won’t breathe a word about it. You have my word.”

Peridot scoffed, crossing her arms. As she spoke, however, her arms began to flail trying to convey extra emotion.

“Your word? I have no reason to trust it. Why would I trust your word when just yesterday you were threatening me? Over your _ex_ -girlfriend. For hitting me in the face. Why the everloving _fuck_ would I trust your word?!”

“I’m sorry.”

Lapis felt small. She _had_ felt bad that she’d been so shitty to this chick yesterday. She regretted every action. She clutched her bicep and found her eyes focused on the same scuff on Peridot’s sneaker. She missed the contrast of the beautiful green of the vegetation. Her legs came clutched against her chest, under her arm.

“That’s rich. You’re _sorry_ . You’re so _sorry_ that even though you didn’t want her to get in trouble you go through and break up with the brute. Oh, that’s just grand. How sweet.”

She clutched her legs closer to her chest and dug her nails into her bicep. Her vision seemed to blur for a moment. Suddenly, something white, searing, and blinding ripped through her chest. She towered over the smaller girl, leering over her.

“You know what? I’m fucking trying. I said I was sorry. I know my word is worth shit when you look at it that way, but you’ve just gotta have faith in me. I don’t go fucking breaking up with my girlfriend for nothing. You were the breaking point. I was fucking threatened into doing half the shit you saw me do. When she up and fucking broke your damned nose, I was fucking upset. I’d seen her do stupid shit and been on the end of that stupid shit before. But when she had me threaten you, that was it. I wasn’t taking her shit any more. So, you know what?” Peridot cowed against the wall. “You don’t have to take my word for shit. But at least have a little faith in me that I can keep a secret. Yeah, I know this school is shit at keeping secrets. I hate it. I don’t want you to go through any worse shit than you do now because I couldn’t keep my goddamn mouth shut. I’ve been there.”

Peridot was quiet. She was still against the wall, but she was now starting to wrap her arms around herself. She made her feel small. Lapis backed off a bit. She scratched the back of her neck. Suddenly her cheeks went crimson. Oh, she had been staring so intently into those emerald eyes that looked like a frightened doe. And, fuck, they were gorgeous. Coupled with the freckles that dotted her face… She reevaluated her whole “type” she liked. Peridot defied most of her ideals, but _HOLY MOTHERFUCK_.

“Oi, anyone ever told you that you’ve got such pretty green eyes?”

The other girl went wide-eyed. A strong blush complemented her freckled cheeks.

“Oh. OH. Uhm. I- I’m.. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. Honestly, I still don’t trust you. I just don’t trust people. But, maybe I can? And… uh… usually I’m wearing colored contacts. I hide the green with my brown contacts. That way they look brown? Or at least hazel? But pretty…?”

Lapis looked at the time on Peridot’s watch. Though upside down, it read 6:45 A. She made mention of this after confirming Peridot’s last question. She didn’t want to be late for class, and certainly neither did the other. That’s what she assumed. She was reluctant to leave without the verdant eyed girl that had caught her interest, but she needed to take the time to recover from Jasper. She didn’t need the girl to be a rebound after that.

Both girls shared a quick goodbye. Lapis was hung back, not ready to face the evil that awaited her after breaking up with Jasper. Yet, Peridot swung back, grabbing her wrist in both hands.

“I trust you’ll be able to keep this a secret?”

“Yeah. You’ve got it, green-eyes.”

This made the short girl blush, but also breathe a sigh of relief. A heartfelt thanks was uttered, and both girls departed for their respective houses.

* * *

⸢I meant it when I said I wanted to break up w/ u. What we had wasn’t ⸣  
⸤healthy. Don’t beg me to come back, bitch. We’re over.  -Lapis            ⸥  
_Sent 7:26AM_

 _This year is going to be hella interesting._ She looked at her clock. 7:30 AM. She finished the last of her bowl of cereal. She glanced down at her home screen before heading out. She had managed to find a picture she’d barely remembered taking the night before of Peridot’s transformed state. She was smitten with how beautiful she looked.

“I hope we can become friends.” She remarked quietly. “I want to get to know you better than I do. Whatever the cost, I want to know you.”

With that, Lapis closed the front door. It was time to face the beast that was school.


	5. Two Idiots Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments help me write more. Leave a few. I love them! I can't believe I missed last week! Ugh, between work and getting my life together, I forgot! Here's the long awaited next chapter.

Her feet carried her where she needed to be, but her mind was elsewhere. Lapis walked along the sidewalk, feet scuffled and avoided cracks and accidentally stepped on a couple of dandelions. Her eyes wandered from the sidewalk to the sky to the surrounding trees and topiaries and flowers. Each flower and piece of greenery reminded her of the greenery from last night. She sighed forlornly. Last night ran through her head. She blushed at the thought of Peridot’s soft features in the setting sun. _Fuck. She’s cute. But, hell, why can’t I get her out of my head? I mean shitstix she’s cute, but like she doesn’t need to be a rebound for Jasper. I’d rather just be friends with her. … Right?_ Lapis shook her head. She didn’t need these doubts running amok. _But why is she being so secretive about her powers? This shitstorm wouldn’t have happened if she had just admitted she had powers. I just don’t get it. Why would she be so secretive about it?_ Before she knew it, she had reached the entrance to Beach City High. When had she gotten this distracted? Outside the doors stood the source of her distraction. Her feet and lips moved before her brain had caught up.

“Hey, Peridot!” She waved and jogged over.

The smaller girl jerked her head towards the source of her name. Her eyes widened as the blunette approached her. Lapis stopped just short of running into her. Her blue eyes met brown ones. The stark difference made her blink just a bit faster. She immediately decided she hated the fake colored lenses. The shorter girl gaped at her presence. It took a moment for either to comprehend the other’s presence. Peridot, however, was the first to break the silence.

“Lap- Uh…. Lapis. Can I- Uh…… Can I help you?”

Before Lapis could even respond, a boisterous voice rose from halfway across the entrance. Both girls turned towards the voice calling out Peridot’s name. They saw Steven pushing and stumbling through the massive crowd. Watching the boy almost trip over a shoe brought a smile to Lapis’ face.

“PERRRRIIIIDDDOOOOOOOOTTTT!” The smaller girl cringed. “Peridot! Peridot! Oh! Hey, Lapis.” He gasped. “Oh em gee! You two are getting along? Aaaaaaahhh! It’s so good to see you two getting along. It’s so good to see you too, Lapis!”

The boy bear hugged Lapis, which she returned. Peridot stood there awkwardly. She could make out the half-smile that graced the other’s lips out of the corner of her eye. It wasn’t long before the two swapped situations. Eventually the trio of students made their way inside idly chattering about things that had happened. Steven tried to apologize for being so pushy at lunch yesterday, but Peridot just brushed him off. She hadn’t minded, but she just “didn’t have the energy to talk” to him. Lapis admired how the two made up with each other for what had happened yesterday at lunch and were coming out of it as stronger friends. She admired Steven’s tenacity and emotional wisdom.

“Hey, Lapis, so… How did you and Peridot meet? Have you two known each other for long? You look like it.”

Lapis and Peridot shared frantic looks at each other. After a brief exchange, Lapis spoke up.

“Ah, it was by chance. We met.... yesterday...”

“What about Jasper? Did she meet her? Oh,Two Idiots Together and where is she today? I wanted to say hi to her!”

_Shit._ That was the one thing that she had entirely forgotten. Hell, she didn’t even know where the brute was. Steven clearly didn’t know the extent of how bad the two’s relationship had been. Why the two weren’t together must have been really strange, now that she realized it. All of the sudden she goes from dating the star of the girl’s football team at BC High and bullying the powerless new girl to chilling with her and having dumped said star jock. Shit was about to hit the fan.

“I haven’t seen her since yesterday. And… uh......”

“You broke up with her, yeah?” Lapis’ blood ran cold at Steven’s observation. “Oh… Well, I’m sorry. I hope you find a girl that’ll love you like she did or if not, then better than her.”

She was dumbfounded by Steven’s astute observation. His words rendered her voice useless. She couldn’t understand why his words had this effect on her, so she looked to Peridot for any guidance. The look in her eye made said girl go wide eyed. Realizing how bad the context for looking in her direction had been, Lapis blushed. Maybe she had meant it though? This brought the two girls’ gazes back to Steven. Said freshman had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face after the exchange. It made Lapis want to shove him away and tell him off for being stupid. Clearly, the boy knew what was going on. A lot better than her, apparently.

“ _Sooooooooooooooooo_ , how _did_ you meet Peridot, Lapis?”

Lapis flustered and began to splutter. She couldn’t form the words to explain how she _had_ met Peridot. Her hands covered her face and she groaned. How was she going to explain to Steven how they’d met? Thankfully, Peridot spoke up.

“I don’t know how she found me, but she happened to cross paths with me while I was taking a nap.” She blushed, and shared a quick and worried glance at Lapis. “I was out exploring the abandoned part of town, and found a spot to take a nap in since I was so tired after school. Lapis apparently knew the area wasn’t super safe when she crossed paths with me, so she stood watch and waited until I woke up from my nap before she explained that the spot wasn’t the best place to take a nap in. I’m grateful for that. Yeah?”

Her head jerked in place. What was she supposed to say again? Oh, “Welcome, nerd.” That worked. Though she seemed to take some offense to the pet name, clearly she wasn’t as offended as she pretended to be. Lapis found herself really impressed by how easily Peridot had omitted so much of the story and had lied, bold facedly, to Steven about what had really gone down. She even made her look like a kind person instead of the creep she had been when she’d found her. Clearly, he wasn’t entirely convinced, so Steven pressed on.

“But _how_ were you two in the same place at the same time? I know you said you were exploring the area, but Lapis, why were you in the area?”

Lapis drew a blank. A long and drawn out, “ _Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,_ ” filled the air before she answered.

“Coincidence?”

_FUCK. FUCK ME. FuCK mE SIdeWAyS ON A BRicK WaLL. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, LAPIS?! FUCKING HELL. THerE’s No wAy He’D bEliEve that!_

“ _Ohhhhhhhhh_ . I think I get it. But like, you guys really look like you know each other _really well_ . How is that when you just met? Was it a long talk?”

_Holy shit. He actually fucking believed it! But what the hell? Do we really look like we’ve been lovers across time, space, and the fanfiction multiverse?_

“Nah,” Peridot piped up. “We haven’t really spoken much outside of that conversation. It was just earlier today that we had any conversation.”

They passed her locker on the way to the others’ lockers. She didn’t know how to function as a human other than to breathe, walk and occasionally blink. Didn’t she have class soon? Or didn’t all of them? Whatever.

“So, you aren’t childhood friends that made a promise to meet up again when you crossed paths once again?” They both vehemently shook their heads. “ _Awwwwwwww mannnnnnn._ ”

Lapis snorted. What kind of bullshit anime or fanfiction was this? Suddenly the trio came to a stop, nearly getting run over by a couple of other students. They just grumbled and moved around them.

“Oh! Lapis didn’t we pass your locker earlier? Wanna get your stuff first? Peridot, you wouldn’t mind waiting on us?”

Before either could respond, Steven grabbed her wrist and pulled Lapis in the direction of her locker. Peridot thankfully stayed put. When they had gotten to Lapis’ locker, Steven nearly screeched. He balled his fists and began to bounce on his heels. She eyed him warily and actually bothered to open her locker. It was empty of course, well, minus an old photo of her and Jasper on their first monthiversary. She smiled forlornly at it. _Stars, that was so long ago. Oh, how things have changed._ Her attention went back to Steven.

“Oh. My. Stars. _Lapiiiiisssssssssss._ ” He quietly screeched. “Do you _like_ like Peridot? Oh my goodness. Omg! You _like_ like _her_ . _Lapiiiiissssssssssssssssss._ ”

Lapis shushed him. She wasn’t denying it though. And her hands were doing a miserable attempt at covering her face to hide the insufferable blush that made itself known across her cheeks all the way up her ears. There weren’t enough glaciers in the Arctic North to quell the intense burning of her face. This made Steven titter even more. She attempted to hush him again, but it was almost no good. Suddenly, Peridot’s curious gaze burned into her blue eyes. Lapis wanted to die in that moment. If she could just fit in this locker and find a way out of it in less than thirty seconds, then she was set for life. She could escape Steven and Peridot and kill two birds with one stone: never exist and hide from her embarrassment.

“OMG. I think she might like you back. Lapis, I think it might be mutual.”

“Steven.” He looked at her face as she lowered herself to his height. “My life is not a terrible romance fanfiction revolving around cartoon characters. Stop. I just broke up with Jasper. I need time to recover. I’ll decide to pine over Peridot later if the feeling ever does come back up. Okay? I hardly even know her.”

Steven nodded his head, pressing his lips together. He did push that she just needed to get to know Peridot better. Maybe that they both wanted to get to know the other better. They just had to give it a chance. After all, it would be “Just perfect!” She just needed to open up. It was up to her to make that decision. After all, it was in her hands.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she hissed.

“Steven. Lapis.” Peridot called. “Classes start soon. Shouldn’t we get going?”

Lapis hailed to her that they were coming. Steven nudged her with an elbow. He whispered that she should escort Peridot to class. He hissed her vehement no as they walked over towards Peridot. Her feet and brain clearly weren’t listening to her though. They split up, Steven heading towards his classes, and Lapis escorted Peridot to her locker

“Lapis, are you okay?” She enquired, a wrist raising to her forehead. “You look like you have a fever. You seem a bit warm? Maybe you should go see the nurse.”

“Yeah No! I’m good. Let’s just get to class, yeaH? Then I can walk with you to class?”

Holy shit, her voice was cracking like a middle school boy going through puberty.

“Sure?”

“Sure.”

Peridot grabbed her stuff, and Lapis seemed inclined to lace her fingers in her hands. This seemed to startle Peridot, but she didn’t let go. In fact, she seemed to squeeze a little tighter. It made her heart soar and the leering looks just wither away.

As they sat together in their shared classes, reconciling with the rest of Peridot’s friends, time seemed to fly. She hadn’t felt this light in so long. Jasper seemed to be the last thing on her mind at the moment. Though she did see her pop up from time to time in their shared classes, she never approached her. And that was okay with her. Lapis felt better than she had in a long time. Maybe having reconciled with the “Crystal Gems” wasn’t such a bad thing, yeah?


	6. Strange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close, and yet so far. Looking forward to getting these last few chapters up! I would have posted this last week, but life happened. Enjoy!

Peridot was concerned. Ever since Lapis had spoken with Steven, something about the blunette was off. She wasn’t quite the same self-absorbed, sarcastic piece of shit, master of snark and witty responses she was yesterday. Something had happened between yesterday and this morning that had changed the girl. The one thing that really tipped her off was Lapis’ comment about the magical cloud thing that she’d encountered while she was transformed. Oh she hoped that the girl hadn’t breathed it in. Over the course of the day, she spent as much time around Lapis as she could to either confirm or deny her suspicions. The longer she spent around her, the more worried she became. She seemed to exhibit some of the same symptoms victims exposed to pollen from her powers.

_ FUCK. NO. PLEASE NO. Oh, God, please fuck no. No no no no nonononononononnonnono. Nooooooooooooo. Please don’t let it be true. _

The longer the day wore on, the more symptoms she began to exhibit: overt affection, impaired speech, impaired reasoning, lack of appetite… The list went on. The longer she observed Lapis’ behavior, the more her stomach began to sink. She pushed around her food on her lunch tray and eventually just threw it away. This was a nightmare. She’d been infected with the poison. The poison was a defense mechanism to protect her while she was asleep. Its effects tended to last for a month at the best. Lapis wouldn’t be able to walk more than twenty miles from Peridot’s vicinity else she would fall into cardiac arrest. That was the downside to this poison. 

Lapis wouldn’t feel a thing; her system was flooded with the equivalent of dopamine and endorphins that would react around Peridot and if they were far enough away. Right now, in her presence, the dopamine receptors were probably flooded with the equivalent of dopamine. If she went further than twenty miles from her, the magic would self destruct. Lapis would fall victim to its destruction. It would eventually wear off, but for how long would it last? Like a virus, it shouldn’t last too long. The volatility of her magic made it slightly unpredictable though. At the least, it would be a month before she could return to normal. In the meantime, she had to do everything to prevent any massive difference in their proximity. Peridot sighed.  _ Hopefully it’ll go away faster if I stick around close enough. That seemed to work last time. It’s still going to take way too long though. _

She had to talk to Lapis.

_ Should I approach her? _ She didn’t want to disturb Peridot, but she had her brows furrowed deep and seemed to be glaring intently at her. Something was clearly bothering her  that had been from yesterday. She’d had the same exact look about her then too. Lapis shifted in her seat. Maybe lunch would be a good time to approach her about this odd behavior.  _ Yeah! I’’ confront her about it at lunch. I don’t think I can handle much more of her staring. _ She blushed at the thoughts that ran through her head under such an intense glare. She clenched her legs. Her blush intensified. What was this girl doing to her?

Lunch came sooner than expected. She made her way over to sit with the Crystal Gems. She hoped to find Peridot sitting with them. She was disappointed for all of five minutes before she actually showed up. Instead of sitting down with the group, she pulled Lapis aside and sat down at a nearby table. Peridot’s hands sat folded in front of her, and an intense glare that had Lapis going red at the ears accompanied it.

“Peri, I- uh… what- um… What are you-?”

She cut her off with a singular finger in the air. She didn’t speak immediately, but whipped out a pen and pinned Lapis’ arm to the table. She started scrawling words and numbers on her arm. It was her full name and her cell number. Lapis blinked rapidly.

“Message me when you get home and I’ll explain what’s going on. I’ll have some questions for you, and I want you to answer them truthfully. If you can manage that, then I’ll answer any and all your questions honestly. I promise.”

“How will I know you aren’t hiding anything?” She whispered.

“You’ll just have to trust me. But I do make good on all my promises.”

“Fine.” Peridot sighed. “But what’s with all this secrecy? Why are you doing this?”

She sighed again, tucking away her pen.

“I have something extremely important to explain to you. There isn’t enough time and privacy at lunch or school to explain.”

Lapis chuckled, retracting her arm. She glanced down at the phone number and admired the scrawled set of numbers. She almost couldn’t tell the difference between her twos and fives. Almost.

“You know, was it really that important to give me your phone number, when I could give you mine?” Peridot went red at the ears. “In all seriousness, what’s the deal with you wanting to talk? Is it really that important? Er… Well, you don’t have to answer right away. I won’t-”

Peridot cut her off with an open palm in the air.

“It’s a matter of life or death, Lazuli. I want to talk more on it, but it’ll have to wait until after school hours. I don’t need the attention and you need the full details. I’ll explain after school. Okay?”

Lapis wasn’t sure what to make of Peridot’s response. Life or death? That’s how serious the matter was?! What was going on that made it life and death? This left her nearly speechless. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and formulate a response.

“Okay? Uh… Wasn’t expecting that. Yeah…”

“Let’s go sit with Amethyst and the others, yeah? I don’t want to completely ruin what’s left of your day. I’m sorry for all that, Lapis.”

Peridot gave her a sympathetic look as she grabbed her food and walked over to the table the Crystal Gems were sitting at. She approached the table as if they hadn’t just had this discussion, and that left Lapis speechless. She wasn’t quite sure how to take the news. Sure, she’d gotten Peridot’s number, a bonus, but it came with an existential crisis of the century. Finally, she picked herself up from the table and rejoined her friends. Though they asked what all the fuss was about, Lapis managed to deflect it into a whole session of teasing Peridot for giving her her phone number. Hilariously, she’d probably never live that down. The whole life or death situation still lingered and nagged at the back of her mind through the rest of lunch and her day.  _ I need to text Peridot. _ That was her first thought after she had left the school and Peridot’s side. She didn’t do so until she’d reached her home.

She opened her contacts and opened a new chat with “Peri-doe.”

⸢Hey, Per-bear. Whatcha⸣   
⸤wanna talk about?        ⸥  
_Sent 4:15 PM_

Three little dots indicating that she was replying popped up. They stopped for a second. They popped back up and stopped several different times. Still, she waited on a response. Finally, after an agonizing one minute and sixteen seconds, a response came.

⸢Remember when we met at⸣   
 the abandoned house?  
 You mentioned sthg about   
⸤pollen stuff…                     ⸥  
_Read 4:17 PM_

[Yeah. What about it?]  
_Sent 4:17 PM_

[Well…]  
_Read 4:17 PM_

Three dots appeared and disappeared several times. They reappeared. Lapis sat in wait for a full response. Her heart leapt every time the dots disappeared; it fell each time they reappeared. Five minutes passed. Ten. Twelve. Thirteen minutes and twenty-six seconds later a response came. Her eyes were assaulted by a wall of text. She went over this wall of text. Read it so thoroughly. The information it contained brought a hand to her mouth. A soft “Oh, my stars.” was uttered and repeated as she finished the last bit of text.

[Peridot, this isn’t funny. Wth?]  
_Sent 4:32 PM_

Lapis’ hand covered her mouth as she reread the text. She went over it several times. She couldn’t believe what she had read. Now she knew more about Peridot than she ever could have, but this was something she would have been better off not knowing. Proving that the tooth fairy was real would have been more palatable than this. No wonder she tried to keep this all under wraps.

[It’s not a joke. Not supposed 2 b.]  
⸢Quick q. What kinda emotions do⸣  
⸤u feel near me?                         ⸥  
_Read 4:33 PM_

[Dibs on first question, punk.]  
[Won’t answer any q’s until then.]  
_Sent 4:34 PM_

Peridot sent a quick thumbs up emoji.

⸢What happened that you had  ⸣   
⸤to move? Was it u or ur pwrs?⸥  
_Sent 4:34 PM_

Suddenly her phone began to vibrate. She eyed the number on the screen. Peridot was calling her. She picked up.

“Hey. Peridot?”

“Lazuli.” The line was quiet for a moment, deep breaths the only sound. “I…”

“You what?


	7. Experiments

“Lazuli, I need you to know that this is all very real. It’s why I wanted to wait to tell you. Let me- I- uh… Well… I want to give you the full story - the whole reason why I.. uh… moved to Beach city. Okay.”

The girl on the other end of the line took a steadying breath. The anticipation was killing Lapis.

“You’re killing me, Peridot. Almost too literally. Talk to me. Make me believe this shit show of a Tragic Backstory ™. We’re not getting any younger here.”

“Okay. Okay. Jeeze.”

Lapis felt the contents of her stomach roiling at the pause in the conversation. She flicked her fingers. Waiting. She was taking too long. 

“Okay.” She inhaled deeply. “So, everything pretty much started when I was born…

_ A team of scientist convene around a table, a woman in a sharp yellow power suit heading the table. To her left, on the floor in a carrier, was a sleeping infant. In front of her sat a stack of papers. Murmurs of ‘Powerful.’ and ‘Incredible.’ and ‘Unbelievable.’ were shared amongst the gathered scientists. The sum on the final page of the contract spoke volumes about how valuable the research would be - seven figures valuable. The scribble of pen across paper could be heard. Excited murmurs rose from the convened table. They could begin their research. Fourteen years. That’s how long the contract lasted. Fourteen years of needles, injections, MRI’s, etc. Every medical exam and test known to mankind was done to her, even special endurance tests, psychological evaluations, and magical endurance tests were conducted. That’s how long it took for the scientists to evaluate the incredible powers of the small child before them. Somehow, the military caught wind of these studies and the powerful potential of this child. They desired a pawn of war and politics. They approached the woman in a yellow power suit with a contract in hand, and promises of money and tax benefits. They’d be happy to bend the law for a war machine that could turn the tides of war. The young teen had no say in what her mother agreed to, so she was taken away for some time. They sent her to a public school, but they had her the rest of the time. In that extra time, she would be sent on missions as a “political ambassador” but really she was an assassin in disguise. She did see some of the benefits of the contract - food, luxuries, clothing, personal tutors - but she never lead a normal life. Sleep was a luxury. Time with her mother was a luxury, but it was filled with hatred and arguments. She didn't want to do this. She was tired of it. She wanted a normal life. She was seventeen, in her junior year of high school, and had worked for the government for three years. It was her latest mission. She was sent to speak with the daughter of the rebellion leader, their ambassador. Her eyes fell upon the girl, not much younger than her, and she knew she couldn’t go through with her mission. She saw the same suffering in those eyes that she had gone through. In their conversation, they joked about being pawns of a political war that had been thrust upon them whether or not they liked it. In the conversation she managed to warn her that they were trying to kill her, and to leave in the next two minutes. ‘Be gone or bye, gone.’ With a little hand wave. Thankfully she did end up “excusing herself to the restroom” in the time. The relief in her eyes spoke volumes about how tired of seeing people die she was. Eventually after following her out because she took too long, the girl excused herself having another political arrangement to get to. A crumpled paper towel with a phone number was transferred to her discreetly. She stowed it away in her pocket. Weeks later, she never heard back from her. All that remained was a red ‘X’ over her picture. After that, she was relieved of service. _

“Since I couldn’t stay at Homeworld High, I had to move. I’m waiting for the day I turn eighteen. It couldn’t get here quicker. But… Yeah. That’s what happened. So… Yeah.”

Lapis sat, dumbfounded, on her bed. Her lips moved, but produced no sound. She blinked rapidly, nearly losing the grip on her phone. Suddenly she found words.

“Peridot.” She inhaled sharply. “What. The. Everloving. Fuck?  _ WHAT THE FUCK?!” _

“Stars, let the whole neighborhood know. But, like, Lapis, I never personally killed anybody. I mean, yeah, they got killed because of me, but like I didn’t kill them myself. Shit. The guilt eats at me every day.”

“Peridot.” She addressed sharply. “That. Does. Not. Make. It. Any. Better. Anyways, am I even supposed to know this shit?!”

“Dunno. I don’t think so, but Mother hasn’t said I can’t tell people. Nobody’s come to shut me up. So I don’t think it’s not okay. If anything does happen and I’m wrong I’m not about to let anything happen to you. You don’t seem accident prone, so it’d be pretty hard to cover that up.”

If Lapis could slap the bitch, she would. She would straight up walk up to Peridot Diamond and slap her for her stupidity. She’d just have to settle for a verbal lashing.

“That’s just fucked up, Per. Dunno how I’m gonna keep this shit straight at school.”

“Easy enough to remember that around crowds, I’m powerless - the queer kid without powers. In private, I’m just me, but with powers.”

Lapis hummed her understanding followed by a quick okay. It was half-hearted, but Peridot seemed to accept it without complaint. She’d have to give her a piece of her mind later.

“Hey, Peridot, I know it’s getting late, but would you be willing to meet up with me so we can discuss this further in person? Like now? I- uh… If you don’t want to I’ll understand. But like, this is kinda confusing… And I wanted to talk more about this?”

Peridot cut her off before she could ramble any more.

“Yeah. That sounds find. Where’d you want to meet?”

She took a moment to think up of some discreet places that were nearby, weren’t under watch, and available to use. Several places came to mind. Peridot’s house seemed a novel idea, but that was quickly tossed out the back window. The park near the elementary sounded plausible, but you never knew what assholes were hanging out around there. Then it struck her. They could meet at the abandoned house where they first  _ really _ met. It was perfect!

“How about the place where we first met-”

“The school! No way! That’s terrible.”

“I didn’t finish, asshat. The place where we first met outside school. You should know where I’m talking about.”

Peridot gasped. The revelation seemed to be the one of the century. The long and exaggerated  _ ‘OH’ _ that came afterwards made Lapis groan. And supposedly Peridot was the nerd. Wasn’t she supposed to be smart?

“Could’ve said that from the start.”

“Oh, my God. You’re so dense. Whatever. I’ll see you there in ten minutes.”

“See ya.”

She hung up. Lapis’ head swirled with questions.  _ What kind of problems did she have that terrify her to the point of hiding her powers. I mean that story was gruesome, but shit, what happened in school? _ Her feet seemed to move on their own. She was grateful for that. She needed to get going if she was going to get there on time. Suddenly, her thoughts turned to the meeting.  _ Fuck. I need to focus on getting to the rendezvous. Oh. Uh. Shit are we talking date kinda meetup or are we talking regular meetup? Is it a date? Shit, should I even consider it a date? _ A warm fuzzy feeling filled her head at the idea of calling it a date. And that put a spring in her step. The heavy thoughts that had filled her head earlier seemed to fade away at the anticipation of meeting Peridot for this ‘date.’ She nearly sprinted to the abandoned house where she had first met Peridot with her powers.

The abandoned house was within sight, and so was a familiar silhouette. She’d recognize that short stature and weirdly spiked hair anywhere. She jogged faster to catch up to her, but wasn’t fast enough. Peridot still got there before her. She did, however, turn around to be greeted by a grinning Lapis.

Peridot glanced at the stupid grin that plastered itself across Lapis’ face. Fuck. It was almost contagious. She knew this wasn’t normal of Lapis. It must have been the effects of the pollen. She furrowed her brows.

“Hey, Lapis… You all right?”

Lapis chuckled, slightly winded.

“Never better. What about you?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer her question. Surely she was “all right,” but that was a pretty subjective answer. She’d just go with that. That was easier.

“Yeah. Little hungry. I forgot food was a thing. Wanna grab something to eat while we’re out?”

It wasn’t a lie. She had forgotten about fixing something to eat once she got home. Usually something, like takeout, would be waiting by the time she got home. She wasn’t quite in the mood for more takeout again. Something heartier sounded nice.

“Shit, I hadn’t thought about that… But, I know a place nearby. It’s a pretty small diner, but they have some pretty sweet donut themed food. And killer milkshakes. Would you be down for milkshakes?”

Peridot’s face lit with the brilliance of a thousand suns. Yet, her response was soft.

“I’d love it.”

Lapis grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction of the diner.

“Well then, let’s go.”

If she didn’t bother with the fact that Lapis was under the influence of her powers and a few other  _ minute _ details, this almost seemed like a real date. Being a Useless Lesbian™ didn’t help convince herself otherwise.  Peridot found herself so wrapped up in her inner turmoil, trying to convince herself that after all this was over that everything would go back to some semblance of normalcy, that she fell very quiet. Her face seemed scrunched in and gaze very focused on the ground in front of her. Eventually her mind came to the conclusion that she had to convince Lapis  in order to convince herself. Suddenly a hand tapped on her shoulder.

“Hey, Per, we’re almost there.”

She immediately perked up at her words. But, she wondered how…

“Lapis?” Said addressee acknowledged her. “I- I hope.. I hope I didn’t… I hope I didn’t give you a heart attack with all that info. I know it’s a lot, but… Uh… Yeah.”

Lapis clutched at her heart dramatically, arching back with an “Oh no!” She started clutching at her chest and mock sinking to the ground.

“Nooooo! Peridot, hear my last words. This is my last will as I die from this heart attack.” Her next words were a stage whisper. “You’re the cutest nerd ever. Have all my inheritance. Oh, I’m dying. Dying so slowly. Errghhhh. Dying.”

Peridot smacked Lapis’ shoulder playfully. She chuckled at Lapis to get over it and that she knew she was faking. It did a little to lighten her spirits despite the dread of having just told her her life’s story. And that dug a little hole in her heart that may never be filled again.

“In all seriousness, Per, your life sounds pretty shitty. Almost kinda - do you mind if I use this word to describe it - robotic? Ya know, like a robot?”

She smirked, some mirth ruining it.

“You’re not wrong. And I don’t mind. Robotic isn’t a bad word to use here. The connotation is a bit different in this case, but it works. But, yeah… my life was pretty shit. I won’t disagree. Well, how about those milkshakes? Forget the world for like five minutes and devour the frozen sugar and lactose artery clogger that is milkshakes?”

“Fuck, yes! I’m hella in. After all, I did offer.”

By then, the two had reached the doors of a small diner titled the “Big Donut” ironically not being a donut shop. That’s what Krispy Kreme was for. Lapis kindly held the door open for her, following shortly after. They took a seat at the counter. The two ordered milkshakes, donut themed of course, and began to chat idly. They let the topic of discussion sit on the back burner to talk about later. They didn’t want to ruin their milkshakes. After they arrived, Lapis flicked some of her whipped topping on Peridot, landing square on her nose. Peridot’s eyes crossed looking at the whipped cream. She took a finger and wiped it on her finger. In a flurry of motion, Lapis now had a mustache that was made with whipped cream.

“Oh,  _ it’s on _ .”

A few minutes of stealing the other’s milkshake and flicking whipped cream at the other later the war came to a quick stalemate. Both girls were laughing and one of the waiters, an older boy, groused that they should get a room. With that they took their milkshakes to go and decided to visit the pier. There they could ride the ferris wheel. The girls slurped on their milkshakes riding the ferris wheel, joking about hypothetical conversations the other people riding had, the impending conversation they themselves needed to have on the back burner. Eventually, after roasting half of the people on the ferris wheel, Peridot realized how late it was. The sun would be setting soon and they both needed to get home before things got too late.

“Hey, I know it’s fun roasting half of these idiots, but we do need to get home eventually. I think we ought to get a head start.”

Lapis scoffed.

“What and not be the delinquent hormonal teenagers we are? Live a little.” Peridot shot a glare at her. “Okay. Okay. Fine, we can get back. In recompense, I demand that we walk back together.”

Peridot quirked a brow, redirecting her gaze at the other’s face.

“And exactly how do you plan on executing that?”

“What?” Lapis deadpanned.

“So, who’s escorting whom home? And who has to walk back on their own?”

Revelation seemed to cross the blue haired idiot’s face. She then explained that she would escort Peridot home and go back on her own. Peridot expressed her concern for Lapis walking on her own. Lapis assuaged her fear, persuading her that she would text her when she made it back to her place.

“It’s cute that you’re so worried about me, Per-bear.”

“Thanks.” She snorted. “ I’ve been  _ so _ worried about you,  _ Lappy _ .”

Lapis gagged at the pet name. Peridot found herself chuckling at the other’s reaction. She wasn’t about to let Lapis get the better of the two pet names. She contemplated not having used ‘Lap-ass’ instead. Perhaps that would have been too mean. Then again, Lapis wasn’t super sensitive…

“Oh my god, Lappy? Seriously?”

“Would you rather Lap-ass? If nothing else, Per-bear isn’t any better. You know what, I’m almost tempted to use that nickname from here on out.”

Both girls ended up in a fit of hysterics. With the matter of pet names put on hold, the girls finally decided it was time to go home. They walked down the street towards towards Beach City High so they could get to Peridot’s house. On the way the two chatted idly and finally figured out that Lapis would only use the pet name in domestic situations and not out in public. Peridot would use Lap-ass if she felt like it or Lapis was being annoying. That having being decided, they finally reached the front porch of Peridot’s house. Peridot patted the pockets of her shorts looking for something. Keys. Keys… Shit, where were they? She’d locked the door with them, yes? She checked the door and found it locked, but she couldn’t find her keys. Wait… Wasn’t there an automatic lock on the door? 

“Shit.”

“Everything all good, Per?”

“No. I must’ve left the keys in the house and the automatic anti-theft locking system must have locked the doors behind me. It gets better. Mother’s not home and she’s the only one with the spare keys. She won’t be back until tomorrow evening.” Peridot heaved an annoyed sigh, burying her face in her palm. “Fuck.”

Lapis patted her shoulder. The comforting gesture was sweet, but she wasn’t about that. She kindly took Lapis’ hand and brushed it off.

“Mind if I stay at your place tonight? I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go.”

The other girl’s eyes went wide. She took a step back.

“Uh, really? I- uh… I don’t mind. Really it’s- Gah! Words!”

Peridot chuckled, half-smiling.

“I gotcha. Thanks.”

“Yeah. Uh. Yeah! Sure! Follow- follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...... I hope you guys liked this! I may be going on hiatus for a while (I know so close to finishing it and now I go in hiatus!), but I'm dealing with some family issues and need some time to recuperate. I hope you understand.
> 
> Thank you so much for bearing with me. Enjoy.


	8. Back Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rises from the dead* I LIIIIVVVEE.
> 
> I genuinely have zero excuse to have not posted this earlier. 
> 
> Enjoy Lapis being the Usless Lesbian(TM).

Lapis was mentally hyperventilating. Oh my god. Oh. My. God. What kind of idiot am I? Let Peridot sleep over at my place?! What the hell was I thinking?! It has to be a dream. That’s it. It has to be a dream. I can’t be walking with the girl I’ve got a massive crush on and mentally dying a little on the inside. Any moment now I’ll wake up. Any moment now. She was sorely disappointed as she continued to walk alongside Peridot. When she approached her house, she saw her dad pulling into the driveway. They waved, and she waved back. FUCK. Yessiree that was her dad. She looked to Peridot who was looking at her with curiosity.

“Uh, yeah, that’s- um... Yep. THat’S my dAd.” She squeaked. “They’re early!”

Peridot chuckled. Lapis could not be further from comfortable right now. She’d have to explain why she had this girl - that she’d probably only known about three days - Wow... I’ve only known Peridot for like three days? No way! It doesn’t feel like it’s only been three days! Over at her house for the night. She probably hadn’t even told her dad about Peridot before! Lapis stopped in her tracks and let out the most dramatic of sighs.

“I really don’t feel like dealing with them right now...”

Peridot quirked her brow, concern written all over her face.

“Not like that! Uh.. Their just...” Lapis paused, looking for the right word. “Overwhelming? And.. Well... You’ll see.”

Green. Vivid green. The color was imprinted on the back of her eyelids. The world began to move slowly. Her thoughts moved faster than she could keep up with. Questions began to arise. Questions that she’d never think unless she felt she was in danger. Questions that made her wonder who really was Peridot and why would she hide her real ability from her? Who was she hiding from? The green... So vivid... She couldn’t help herself but become lost in it. For a moment, though, it was replaced with a metallic blue. Blue so cold and menacing she recoiled from it. Then, it was gone.

“-apis. Lapis!” Her attention snapped back to reality. “Hey, you okay? You look kinda pale.”

Lapis blinked owlishly.

“Oh? Oh. Yeah. Uh... I’m okay. I just...” How would she explain the vivid vision she just had? “It’s just a bit warm out. I probably need a little bit of water. After all, I’d hate to wilt like a pansy under this sun.”

Peridot didn’t miss when she flinched under her touch. She looked to the blue-eyed girl with concern in her eyes. Lapis just brushed it off with another jibe. What had happened to the smooth, cool girl act she had from earlier?

“You know you can talk about it if you ever need to.”

She snorted.

“What the fuck? I can’t even-” She cut herself off with several snort-like laughs. “Fucking words. Error 404 Lapis.exe can not be found.”

Peridot pushed her away with a snort.

“Oh my stars, Laz, you neeeerrrddd.”

“I try my best, Periwinkle.”

Followed by the most exaggerated of winks, her comment made the girl bust into a fit of laughter. It was obnoxious and very nasally, but it was adorable and contagious. She even started laughing. Snort. The laughter stopped dead in its tracks. It then picked back up even more obnoxious and louder than before.

“Are you two twinks going to wake the dead yet?” Lapis glared at her dad. “You’re a bit late, squirt. Oh! And is this your girlfriend? She’s so precious! My lil’ Lappy is all grown up. Ugh, you kids grow up too fast. Come in, come in. Don’t let in half of nature.”

They ushered the two girls into the kitchen. Poor Peridot seemed super confused by the whole titles and dad and why did her dad look like Jasper?!

“Jasper? Oh! That bully that my precious lil’ Lappy used to like for some reason. No relation whatsoever. We’ve looked. Besides these luscious locks are au naturale. Unlike hers.” They scoffed. “Can’t imagine the salon bills. Ew. Oh! By the way, I’m Lapis’s aunt Selena, but everybody always calls me Skinny. Except Lil’ Lappy here. She’s obstinate and loves to call me dad. Isn’t that right, Lappy?”

Lapis’s aunt pinched her cheek and shook it.

“Daaaaaaaaaadd.”

Selena turned their attention to Peridot and began to prod as to why her precious niece was bringing home such a sweet young lady on a school night. This made Peridot’s cheeks blaze. She failed to find the right words to convey what had occurred to her. Thankfully Lapis was able to back her up and tell her dad what had exactly happened.

“So, funny story, Peridot accidentally got locked out of her house and needed a place to stay the night. I offered, that is if you don’t mind, dad?”

Peridot finally found the courage to speak up.

“My house has a Diamond Technologies lock system and my mom is out on a business trip. I accidentally left my keys in the house and didn’t realize until I got home from school. My mom won’t be back until later tomorrow evening. So, Lapis offered to let me stay at her place when she found out.”

Lapis’s aunt hummed. Then a smirk gripped her face. She approached Peridot and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She let Peridot know that whatever her and Lapis were up to whilst she was gone was A-Okay by her. She let her know that she strongly approved of Lapis’s new type. The crass vocabulary and other sexual innuendos made the girl’s cheeks burn like the fury of a thousand suns and voice stuttering like a scratched CD. The discrete nature of the conversation left Lapis baffled.

“Well, you girls have fun. I’ve a party invite to respond to. Just don’t keep the neighbors up.” She winked at Lapis.

Lapis smacked a hand against her face.

“Oh, and if you need anything, we have food and drinks in the fridge. There’s also a number to the Chinese place down the street if you have any midnight cravings. Have fun girls!”

“OKAY DAD. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING.” Lapis began to shove her dad out the door. “HAVE FUN AT YOUR PARTY.”

Once they were out the door, Lapis closed the door and sank against it. Peridot stared at the girl, then the door. Suddenly, she burst into laughter.

“Oh my stars. That’s why- hahahahahahahaha! Gods. I understand why you were so reluctant. She’s so-”

Peridot almost couldn’t speak, she was laughing so hard. Lapis stared dumbfounded at the jovial girl before her.

“That’s why you- hahahahahaha. You don’t like- Lappy. Overwhelming is an understatement. Yeah, no, not related at all.”

Lapis’s head seemed to loll to the side. Her eyes half-heartedly rolled This startled Peridot.

“Hey, uh, you okay?”

Lapis nodded weakly. Suddenly, the dark circles under her eyes, dull irises, and worryingly pale face caught her attention. It looked as if she hadn’t slept in a week. Peridot found herself helping Lapis up from the floor and half carrying half dragging her up the stairs to her room. It had to be the poison. It was noticeably taking effect on the blunette.

“Hey, you look like you could use some water.”

“Are you calling me thirsty?” Lapis scoffed, half-heartedly.

Peridot pinched the bridge of her nose, calling the other insufferable. She then resolved to go grab a glass of water. After that, they would go to bed. Lapis did look like the living dead. She plodded down the stairs to the kitchen. Along the way she passed by a mirror. A neon-green smirk greeted her. The girl found herself hyperventilating. No. This wasn’t good. Not now. Sprinting. She sprinted to the kitchen. Trembling hands. The glass in her hand shook. Deep breaths. Peridot tried to steady herself. She took some deep breaths and held her other hand against the trembling one. Water. Focus. She focused on the task at hand. She was getting water for Lapis. Eventually, she filled the glass with some water from the fridge and darted past the mirror and up the stairs to Lapis’s room.

“All right, you thirsty heathen, drink up.”

Peridot passed the glass to Lapis. Said recipient chuckled.

“So you are calling me thirsty.”

“CHANGING THE SUBJECT. Oh, hey, er-” Peridot scratched the back of her neck. “Mind if I borrow some pj’s? And maybe your guys’ washer?”

Lapis took a long sip of her water, staring at her. She refused to break eye contact until she had emphatically finished her sip. A smirk rose on her tired face. It was followed by a hearty bellow of laughter.

“Yeah. Lemme get you something to wear, and we can get your clothes going in the wash.”

The tired bluenette heaved herself off her bed and loafed over to her dresser. She dug through a drawer or two in search for something. After a few minutes of rummaging around through her drawers, Lapis pulled out a pair of shorts and a slightly oversized tee shirt with mermaids on it. The print on the shirt brought forth a flurry of giggles from the other girl.

“Stars, you couldn’t have picked anything more ‘Lapis’ than that. What even is that shirt?”

“Okay, so get this. It was an ironic gift from Steven. He got it for me ages ago. I just don’t let him know that I still have it. It makes for a pretty comfy pj shirt though. I just don’t have the heart to tell him that I don’t wear it any more.”

Peridot scoffed. There wasn’t any way that she was going to wear that stupid thing.

“It’s either this or the ‘tiddy shirt’. Your choice.”

She looked at the mermaid shirt, then the shirt with boobies on it. She didn’t know which was worse: the appalling pattern of birds or the cutesy mermaid print. Eventually, she chose the lesser of the two evils. Wearing the “tiddy shirt” was just out of the question.

“Thanks.”

“There’s a bathroom just across the hall if you want to go change in there.”

Grateful for the hospitality, she headed to the bathroom to change. She faced away from the mirror the whole time. Apparently she was taking too long, as Lapis decided to knock on the door.

“You aren’t dead in there, Per-bear, are you?”

“Not dead. Not yet, anyways.”

“I’m coming in whether you’re prepared or not.”

Lapis stopped dead in the doorway. She seemed to appraise the way the shirt hung off of her curves and the way the shorts accentuated her legs. Peridot shifted under the scrutiny of Lapis’s evaluating eye.

“Fuck.”


End file.
